This invention relates to harnesses and more particularly to a body harness which is used to rescue persons from heights and as a safety harness of fire fighters, tree trimmers, window washers, mountain climbers and construction workers.
Body harnesses for lowering persons from a height to a relatively lower height are exemplified in the prior art by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,367,582; 3,424,134; and 5,329,884. The reference patents disclose bulky, complex structures consisting of shoulder straps, leg straps, belts, buckles, xe2x80x9cDxe2x80x9d rings and similar connectors for attaching descenders and lifelines. Shoulder belts are often interconnected by chest straps and buckles. The shoulder straps, leg straps and belt are tightened with adjusters after straps are fastened.
Although these harnesses, if properly applied, will satisfy their intended purpose of lowering a person, if improperly applied, as sometimes happens, they can cause discomfort and injuries. Inasmuch as they are complex structures, they are difficult to store, are somewhat expensive, are subject to misuse and require substantial amounts of time to install, which during emergencies may be undesirable. Moreover, when used by the public they may be improperly applied.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a body harness which requires little, if any, training for use. It is a further object to provide a body harness which is easy to use. It is still yet another object to provide a body harness which can be installed in a minimum amount of time. It is still further an object to provide a body harness which is of moderate cost. A still further object is to provide a body harness which can be stored in a small space when the harness is not being used. A still further object is to provide a harness which can be used by workers as well as the public at large. A still further object is to provide a means in a body harness for storing a descender of the type disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 10/279,616.
In a first aspect of the invention a body harness comprises a generally oval shaped vest sewn from a single piece of material, a pair of separable torso straps attached to the vest, a separable crotch strap attached to the vest and buckles for separating and connecting segments of the torso and crotch straps. Means are provided in the buckles for tightening the torso and crotch straps when the harness is worn by a person. The term xe2x80x9cseparablexe2x80x9d as used herein is intended to refer to an article which is not intended to be separated during normal usage. In a second aspect of the invention, a pair of non-separable torso straps and a non-separable crotch strap are provided together with an adjuster for tightening the straps on a person.
In employing the teaching of the present invention, a plurality of alternate constructions can be adopted to achieve the desired objects and capabilities. In this disclosure, one preferred embodiment is described. However, the disclosed embodiment is intended as an example only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of the invention.
Further objects, features and benefits will be apparent by reference to the drawings and ensuing detailed description of a preferred embodiment which discloses the best mode contemplated in carrying out the invention. The exclusive rights which are claimed are set forth in the numbered claims following the detailed description of the preferred embodiment.